In a first round where only one quarterback was selected — and that one, Kenny Pickett, wasn’t chosen until pick No. 20 — Malik Willis was left to wait another day before learning his NFL Draft destination.
The former Liberty quarterback enters Friday’s second round as one of the best players available, regardless of position. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who ranked Willis No. 32 entering the draft, has him as the fourth-best player still on the board after one round.
A popular prediction was that the Seahawks would take Willis with either the No. 40 or No. 41 pick, but they didn’t use either selection on the quarterback.
It’s worth noting that three playoff starting quarterbacks in 2021 were second-round picks: the Eagles‘ Jalen Hurts, the Raiders‘ Derek Carr and the 49ers‘ Jimmy Garoppolo. Drew Lock started three games for the Broncos and was traded to the Seahawks this offseason in the Russell Wilson deal. Andy Dalton, a second-round pick in 2011, also started six games for the Bears.
So where will Willis land? We asked some of our NFL Draft experts.
Follow The Athletic’s live updates on Day 2 of the draft here.
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
